A Conspiracy of Kings
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2009) |
 First edition cover[1] | |
| Author | Megan Whalen Turner |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Vince Natale[1] |
| Series | Queen's Thief[1] |
| Genre | Young-adult fantasy, political fiction |
| Publisher | Greenwillow Books/ HarperCollins[1] |
Publication date | March 2010 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), e-book |
| Pages | 316 pp. (print)[1][2] |
| ISBN | 0-06-187095-1 |
| OCLC | 419854908 |
| LC Class | PZ7.T85565 Co 2010[2] |
| Preceded by | The King of Attolia |
A Conspiracy of Kings is a young adult fantasy novel by Megan Whalen Turner, published by the Greenwillow Books imprint of HarperCollins in 2010. It is the fourth novel in the Queen Thief series that Turner inaugurated with The Thief in 1996.[1]
The first five chapters were released on the Harper Collins Children's Books site for previewing purposes.[3]
The trade paper edition of August 2011 appends to the novel an original Queen's Thief short story, "Destruction", and several nonfiction items.[1]
Setting
The books are set in a Byzantine-like imaginary landscape, reminiscent of ancient Greece and other territories around the Mediterranean. The action takes place in the countries of Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis. The characters' names are Greek, and references are made to actual Greek authors, but this is fantasy, not historical fiction. The gods of Turner's pantheon, ruled by the Great Goddess Hephestia, are her own, and her world possesses such items as guns and pocket watches.
Plot
Sophos, Magus's once studious protégé, finds himself much out of his element as he and his family are ambushed in his villa. Surprising both his attackers and himself, Sophos at first succeeds in evading his attackers and hiding his mother and sisters, but is soon betrayed by his servants. Mistakenly sold into slavery, he finds himself content with manual labor and forms an unlikely camaraderie with the other slaves and workhands. Eventually, however, when faced with a choice between a life of contentment or one of influence, capable of making changes much needed by Sounis, he chooses the latter, all the while wondering "if people always choose what will make them unhappy".
Soon after a harrowing escape from the Baron who enslaved him, Sophos unexpectedly finds himself the King of Sounis. The state he has inherited is far from ideal. Not only is Sounis deadlocked in war with Attolia, it is also being torn from the inside by internal discontent and a civil war. With neither the monetary resources nor the manpower to secure his throne, he is faced with several options, each with heavy consequences. Aided by the Magus, Sophos decides to turn to his old friend: Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, with whom Sophos traveled years before and who is now the King of Attolia.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g A Conspiracy of Kings title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2015-11-02. Select a particular edition (title) for more data at that level, such as a front cover image or linked contents.
- ^ a b "A conspiracy of kings"[permanent dead link] (first edition). LC Online Catalog. Library of Congress (lccn.loc.gov). Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ^ A Conspiracy of Kings (preview, chapters 1-5). Harper Collins Children's Books.
External links
- Megan Whalen Turner (official)
- Sounis fan discussion of the series at LiveJournal
- Megan Whalen Turner at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database